Did you have a near-death experience in kayaking?
What happened, what was it like?
Did it effect your kayaking or your life after that?
Any advices when it happens to you?

just being held under in stoppers longer than id like which most paddlers would probably say has happened at some point

Here is my closest one posted from a similar post:

I was paddling on a creek and got beta from someone who hadn't scouted the whole rapid. I thought he had. Landed on a rock that wasn't supposed to be there at the bottom of a slide and then ended up going under a large rock that was downstream of the slide, thankfully flushed out the other side. Thought I was going to lodge in there for a second though, life changing experience for sure. AC tear in the shoulder and that was it, could have been much worse.

Did it effect your kayaking or your life after that?
Well I had to take about a month off of paddling and then was able to get back into again. Possibly have some chronic shoulder pain now, not sure how long it will be before (if) it goes away. Still can't carry a boat on my left shoulder. I obviously scout rapids a lot better now and make sure I trust people I am recieving instructions from. I generally have to be \"feeling it\" a bit more to run the larger drops than previously.

Any advices when it happens to you?

Get back on it and paddle a lot.
You have to overcome the negative experience with a lot more positive experiences. If it's a huge deal I'd reccomend paddling agressivly on a run you know well and feel safe on, challenging the big holes and taking hard lines, just getting comfterable in your boat again. Stay positive.

Just happened today. I was running a section of river I have run many times. As I came over a ledge that I have dropped lots I realized it is now a big hole. The hole sucked me backwards and I ended up in a side surf for a second. Then I got sucked down in my boat. So I set up to roll and hit a really big rock that broke my paddle on my face. So now half a paddle in each hand I wet exit and get pulled under again. Short story tossed a bit more and then swam out under the hole. Will I paddle again. Yes. Will I drop the hole again? With a thorough scout yes. Does my black cut eye see a good thing in a full face helmet helly yes!

With all respect for what you guys experienced, that sounds more like 'near dying experiences' or 'in deep she-it experiences'.

Near death experiences are more like having passed the end of the tunnel or having been out of your body, and then making it back to life. See for instance:

www.near-death.com/evidence.html